12 THE BEGINNINGSacquainted with this important area of learning than even the best
educated layman of his time.^1 The contents of the course on physics
which he gave at the Seminary, is known to us, thanks to the very
complete notes taken by one of his students and probably edited by
Speransky himself. The notes show that Speransky was familiar not
only with the classical founders of modem science, Newton, Leibniz,
Euler, etc., but that he also tried to keep abreast of the latest
developments, for he made reference to the new discoveries of Franklin,
Priestley, and Lavoisier. 2 We shall have occasion to return to a more
detailed examination of the role played by science in the genesis of
his philosophical views.
Speransky not only acquired the factual and intellectual contents of
the literature, philosophy, and science of his .age, but he also made
his own the form in which the Enlightenment clothed its learning and
thought. One of the characteristic traits of 18th century philosophy
and science was the presentation of even complex and abstruse ideas
in such a clear, simple and elegant form that they could be easily
understood by all the educated. No idea, no theory achieved recognition
unless it could be discussed in the salons. Fontenelle had shown how
this could be done without loss of scientific accuracy and philosophic
precision; though at the price of a shallowing out of the metaphysical
and epistemological implications. Voltaire had elevated this form of
presentation into a literary art. Well served by his natural stylistic
talent, Speransky mastered the canons of 18th century technical and
"philosophic" writing to perfection. Learning from the example set
by the French and English writers on philosophy, politics, and science,
he acquired a mastery for stating a difficult and involved problem in
a clear, coherent, and concise form. His writing had none of the
1 The fact of Speransky's scientific education also favorably impressed his later
adviser and assistant on the Commission for Codification, professor L. H. Jacob
who noted: "Dabei war Speranski einer von den wenigen Rcussen, weIche eine
wissenschaftliche Bildung erhaIten haben." L. H. Jacob, Denkwurdigkeiten aus meinem
Leben fur meine Familie und fur vertraute Freunde aus den Jahren 1802 bis 1820
(Manuscript copy, Library of Halle), p. 276. Hereafter, these memoirs will be
referred to as Denkwurdigkeiten. I wish to take this opportunity to express my
gratitude to professor D. I. Cizevsky for having called my attention to the existence
of this manuscript in Germany. The Halle Library kindly provided me with a
microfilm copy of the sections relating to Jacob's stay in Russia.
2 See: "Fizika vybrannaia iz luchshikh avtorov, raspolozhennaia i dopolnennaia
Nevskoi Seminarii filosofii i fiziki uchitelem M. M. Speranskim I797-go g. v Sankt
Peterburge," in Chteniia, 1871, bk. 3, section 2, pp. 1-56 and 1872, bk. 1, section 2,
pp. 57-248 passim (d. in particular pp. 3, 76 ff, 83 ff, 168, 196, 209 f£). Martynov
in his memoirs says that several of the seminary students used to attend lectures
on biology and other natural sciences given at the Medical Institute of the capital.
He does not say whether Speransky was among these auditors. "Zapiski" loco cit.>
p. 79.